1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to downhill skiing and other sliding sport activities, specifically to a training device that assists the user with maneuvering and controlling speed.
2. Description of Prior Art
FIGS. P1-P3
Skiers and other sliding sport enthusiasts begin their sport without the ability to control their speed, and, or their direction of travel. This lack of control causes embarrassment, anxiety, and sometimes injury. Beginners frequently fall hard on the ground or slide out of control. Beginners often slide near and into people, or obstacles. Most beginning siders first learn to control their speed with a braking wedge maneuver, and later learn to control speed with turning.
For speed control, most professionally certified ski instructors in the United States (certified through the Professional Ski Instructors of America) presently teach beginners the braking wedge, formerly called xe2x80x9csnow-plowxe2x80x9d, before teaching turning. The braking wedge is the main goal of most initial skiing lessons. It requires the beginners assume an awkward position. A braking wedge is not easy to accomplish. The following paragraphs demonstrate why the braking wedge maneuver is unsatisfactory for most beginning skiers:
To perform a braking wedge, the skier arranges their ski tips near one another and positions the tails wide apart, creating a xe2x80x9cVxe2x80x9d like position with their skis. This pigeon toed and legs spread wide apart position is uncomfortable. In a braking wedge, skiers use a combination of axial forces and surface drag to slow down. The xe2x80x9cVxe2x80x9d half angle of wedged skis is typically 30xc2x0 degrees or less. Axial braking forces result from the lateral force times the angle of skis. Thus, only one half of any lateral force is converted into a useful braking force. Insufficient braking encourages people to rail a ski (over-edging it so that it stops slightly laterally). One railed ski may cross over the other ski, or create unwanted travel in the direction that the railed ski is pointing. Adequate surface drag is also difficult to create, especially on icy slopes, steep slopes, or once a beginner has sped up. Drag is created by maximizing the area of the ski that contacts the supporting surface in a laterally displaced manner across the slope. Basically, the skier increases their wedge angle and flattens their skis by supinating (rolling out) their ankles to create more surface drag. This positioning of the body isn""t basic for beginners.
Beginners often irritate their knees trying to twist a ski railed while attempting the braking wedge. It is difficult for a tense beginner to lift, or flatten, and correctly reposition a railed ski. To ski straight while braking in a wedge, the skier must maintain their skis in a sufficiently wide wedge stance, with appropriate edge, and create the same friction and drag on each side. Additionally, the wide braking wedge position can result an unexpected split. Many novice skiers abandon the sport after several hours of practice. Other potential skiers never want to try skiing.
The relevant prior art reviewed below concerns training devices that purport to assist skiers with turning and/or controlling speed. Prior art is crowded with braking devices that purport to solve problems with performing the braking wedge, or otherwise controlling speed. Some devices purport to assist with turning as well as braking. Applicable prior art braking devices include devices that help skiers perform a braking wedge, skier-activated braking systems, harness and pole braking systems, and ski-equipped crutches. All these training devices have significant disadvantages. Several prior art snow vehicles are included at the end of the prior art even though none disclose training devices for beginner skiers.
Braking devices that have uses other than providing a moving skier with speed control have been included for completeness because their titles suggest that they are be related. There are two categories of non-applicable ski brake devices. U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,322 is one of a large number of patents residing in prior art listed that relate to devices which prevent a ski from running away from the skier downhill after the binding opens as the skier falls. Such devices have a usefulness which is limited to stopping a run away ski. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,510,476 (La Salle, 1950) and 4,219,214 (Kostov, 1980) are representative of patents residing in prior art which disclose blade devices mounted to skis and moveable for downward entry into the snow upon which the users skis are operated. Most typically, such devices are employed as brakes during a prior to upward climbing motions to retard a rear slippage of the skis. Such devices have a usefulness which is generally limited to walking or climbing where the skier moves the skis from static starting positions as they climb, not to downhill skiing. If used for slowing skiers, these devices would have the same problems as those listed under the following hand and leg activated devices.
Several prior art braking devices provide speed control for skiers with the engagement of probes, flaps or other braking members that dig into the snow. Most devices are attached to or built into the users skis. The brakes are activated by hand held brake layers, ski poles or by rolling the skis onto their edges. U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,708 (Cote, 1980) relates to a plate fixed on the upper surface of a ski. The plate is provided with a notch into which the lower end of a ski pole may be inserted to produce drag against the snow. While the primary purpose of this device is to provide walking traction during cross country skiing, it purports to provide active braking for a cross-country skier moving downhill. It would be difficult for a beginner to pierce the pole tip through the notch while moving. Additionally, the ski pole applies drag only on the outside of each ski while braking. This would tend to spread the tips of the skis, making the skis more difficult to maneuver. U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,007 (Smith, 1979) provides snow flaps that dig down into the surface at the rear ends of skis. They are activated by hydraulic pressure controlled through the grips on the ski poles. Because the flaps in this device are at the rear of the skis, behind the center pivot point of the skis, it interferes with the skiers rotational efforts to pivot their skis left and right about the axis of their leg.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,986,561(Humphrey, 1991); 4,911,461(Humphrey, 1990); 5,145,200 (Humphrey, 1992); and 5,370,415 (Humphrey, 1994) provide ski control systems built into the users skis, where probes are deployed out of the running surface of the skis into the snow surface. They purport to achieve enhanced maneuverability and speed control when downhill skiing. First, the probes are too short to be practical in all conditions, such as soft powder or slush. Furthermore, these devices, like all braking systems that deploy braking members from the users snow skis, cause beginners to develop a non-functional back leaning stance. Skiers quickly establish a preferred for-aft stance when learning to ski. It is best to learn a centered stance, leaning neither forward or backward on the boot cuff, by letting the shins barely touch the forward tongue of the ski boots. As the brakes are engaged on these devices, skiers will lean back to resist to the increased pressure on their leg muscles. Novice skiers can get stuck in this bad habit of leaning back while skiing.
Alteratively, skiers can be taught to lean forward against the cuff of their rigid modern ski boots when engaging the probes. But, this encourages the skier to learn a bad habit of leaning too far forward with their stance. Pressure on the front of the ski can make one""s ski tail wash out at the end of a turn, resulting in a skier pointed up hill and about to slide backwards. A skier could avoid leaning fore or aft by using the quadriceps muscles to resist the braking force, but this would be tiring. A skier""s first experience with their front to back orientation remains fairly permanent and difficult to progress intermediate or advanced skier. Additionally, the braking skis do not operate like traditional skis. The various braking members built onto the skis interfere with the normal pivoting, skidding, and edging operation of one""s skis. People who learn on skis with braking members must later relearn how to operate a normal pair of skis.
Some prior art devices assist users with performing a braking wedge. These are devices that connect the front of a skier""s two skis by the tips to help students perform a braking wedge and purport to assist them with turning, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,703,299 (Kutchma, 1972) 3,992,022 (Albers, 1976) 4,363,495 (Henson, 1982) and 4,643,444 (Parkinson, 1987). Devices that force skiers into a wedge by holding the tips together can cause bad habits. A person who learns to slow down with a wide braking wedge builds muscle memory of the wide position. The skier may find it difficult to change to a smaller wedge, which is much more functional for turning and for becoming a parallel skier. The braking wedge encourages some beginners to assume an incorrect stance, leaning back on their stiff ski boots, pressuring the back of their skis. Leaning back is one of the hardest habits to correct. Additionally, a device that connects the tips does not allow beginners to open their ski tips for skating, or for a parallel positioning of their skis. Beginners use a parallel positioning when traversing a hill, in a lift line, or on flat areas. Basically, devices that are attached to the users skis interfere with the normal operation of the beginners skis when turning, walking and side stepping. These devices do not allow skiers to learn how to use standard skiing equipment.
A variety of two person harness or pole systems enable an instructor to help a student to slow down. These include U.S. Pat. No. 3,014,284 (Hall, 1961) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,156 Rohe, 1995). An instructor must be connected to the student to help them turn or slow down. These devices stifle independent learning because they do not allow beginners to control their own speed and direction of travel. The student must be comfortable submitting control to an instructor. One instructor is unable to provide speed control for several students at once. Thus, it is necessary for each student to have a private instructor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,397,154 (Baldwin, 1995) is a stabilizer device for skiers. (See Prior Art FIG. P3) This device is bulky, and thus it would be difficult to transport up a ski lift. When braking the user would tire their hands and arms while hanging on and gripping the hand brakes. The user is unable to resist the braking forces with skeletal support of their extended arms, or by resting their hands against their body. The stabilizer has limited turning capabilities which could only be accomplished with drag by engaging a brake on one side. The depth that the brakes can penetrate is limited, and thus the device may not penetrate sufficiently to slow the user in soft snow conditions. Additionally, the stabilizer device provides limited space for a user to operate their skis.
The closest physical embodiment to my invention is the ski equipped crutch. It is designed for people that have only one leg, or disabled legs, who participate in skiing. The devices are known as ski equipped crutches, crutch skis, or outriggers. The gripping bar and cuff set up on ski crutches presume that the skier will use two devices. Two ski crutches (one under each arm) are typically used by a disabled skiers to provide side to side stability when skiing on one leg or in a sit ski chair. The prior art patterns shown in FIGS. P1 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,535 (Negi, 1976)) and FIG. P2 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,738,674 (Pauls, 1973)) are representative of formerly patented ski crutches. The ski crutch shown in FIG. P4 (drawings page 5/6) is representative of modern ski crutches.
Ski crutches have not been developed to provide easy braking. To create enough resistance from the snow to brake with these ski crutches, the rear anti-skid member (flap) must be engaged into the snow surface with ample pressure, at a sufficiently forward angle, and at an adequate depth. Braking member 21 in FIG. P2 is representative of ski crutches that utilize a declined short 45xc2x0 angled anti-skid member on back. The angled portion of braking member 21 is too short for deep penetration into the supporting surface. This short anti-skid member declines downward from the height of the top of the back of the ski, and thus has the limited vertical distance of the ski""s thickness.
These ski crutches are built to avoid accidental braking. The fourth paragraph on page four, line 53, of U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,535 (Negi, 1976) in FIG. P1 reads. xe2x80x9cIn case it is intended to ski at a substantial speed, it will be noted that the braking power from only a single ski is not enough and that a sufficiently powerful braking power is required to insure safety of the physically handicapped or like skier. Therefore, in such an instance of skiing performanced at some speed the pole member of the present invention is thrusted toward a substantially forward position, . . . xe2x80x9d. When braking, the force must be adsorbed by muscles in the arms and shoulders. This causes fatigue. To modulate the amount of braking, the user must extend the crutch ski bases forward various distances, or use their triceps and back muscles to add pressure to the bases. The skier must make drastic movements, reaching far forward to brake effectively. Thus, beginners must remain leaned over in an uncomfortable position if they want to stay ready to stop quickly. This encourages a new skier to developed stance that is hunched too far forward, causing them to balance pressure too far forward on their skis. Additionally, braking with one ski crutch more than the other can cause unwanted turning.
The art of designing ski crutches has largely ignored the braking needs of beginners moving at crawling speeds, in order to serve the needs of experts.
Turning needs of beginners has also been ignored. Modern ski crutches (such as that in FIG. P4) are designed for the turning needs of experts moving at high speeds. In order to turn right, (for example) an expert would move and touch the right ski crutch""s planar member at a position forward and to the right, creating a slight drag to initiate the turn. Once the turn is initiated, the expert can control the turn. However, to reduce the possibility of excessive deflection from the planar member at high speeds, most modern ski crutches (including FIG. P4) do not have steel edges on the sides of their planar members. Ski crutches without edges do not provide beginners with enough deflection to assist with turning at slow speeds.
Older prior art ski crutches have edges that create deflection for turning. But, the user can only turn when they are not braking. Beginners desire to brake constantly, including when turning. To slow, a beginner using the ski crutch in FIG. P2 can tip the planar member ski back onto braking member 21. Alternatively, they can tip the ski onto its side edge to turn. However, they can engage the back of the ski (to brake) and the side of the ski (in turn) at the same time. Thus, ski crutches do not offer much help to disabled beginners needing to constantly turn and brake. Accordingly, these devices have not been useful enough to cross over to be serve the needs of non-disabled beginners riding on two skis. The above disadvantages would continue if two legged skiers were to use ski crutches. Additionally, the two ski crutches would interfere with a regular skier""s two skis when they are spread out into wide parallel or wedged position. The above ski training devices are representative of those known in prior art.
Prior art snow vehicles have a myriad of designs encompassed by crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,269,742 to Funyak et al. (1966) discloses a riding ski; U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,142 to Turner (1978) discloses a snow sled turning mechanism; U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,772 to Martin (1997) discloses a snowmobile braking system; U.S. Pat. No. 505,993 to Seebick (1893) discloses a coasting sled; U.S. Pat. No. 2,593,974 to Brown (1952) discloses a ski sled; U.S. Pat. No. 2,633,365 to Cwynar et al. (1953) discloses a ski scooter and sled; U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,319 to Winter (1981) discloses a toboggan; U.S. Pat. No. 3,734,523 to Field (1973) discloses a sled; U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,141 to Csepregi (1994) discloses an ice and snow surfboard. While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a ski training device to aid beginner skiers in learning the fundamentals of skiing.